Shadow
Professional Expectations
- How do teachers engage with the student?
- Teacher separates student from others for most of the day so she can focus on getting her work done.
- How do they support the student?
- Separating the student controls the student’s stimulation levels in order for her to focus.
- Student is not much of a people person and works with better alone.
- How is the student given opportunities to contribute?
- Teacher asks for the student’s opinions and experiences on topics they are talking about.
- How do teachers collaborate to support this student?
- Student has an IEP, so student’s teacher from school comes in to check on how she’s doing occasionally.
- How do teachers listen and learn from this student?
- The teacher asks whether or not she wants help with an assignment, letting her decide what she can and can’t handle alone.
Cultural Competency
- How is the student’s cultural experience reflected in their community?
- Teacher announces that she understands that life may be busy at home and that sometimes things can get in the way of school.
- How is it reflected in their school?
- School has signs such as “Black Lives Matter” and images of Martin Luther King.
- How does the student have the opportunity to see their learning environment through “windows, mirrors, and doors?”
- Student has a female, black teacher who she can see herself as.
Civic Engagement
- How is this student given opportunities to lead in their community?
- Student was made line leader of the girls’ line.
- How is this student involved in decision-making?
- Student’s opinions are asked for about whether or not a lesson worked for her learning.
- How is this student’s voice amplified?
- Student is asked more than other students for answers and opinions.
Grit and Growth Mindset
- How does the student respond to challenges?
- Student gets a bit frustrated with first approached with challenges, but once she sits down and focuses on the directions and the assignment, she is able to push herself to work through them.
- How does the student show resiliency?
- When the student is notified that she made a mistake, at first she gets bit upset but then she acknowledges and says “I’ll remember that for next time!”
- How does the student experience feedback (from peers or adults?)
- The student usually works on her own and then gets her work proofread.
- What types of feedback are provided?
- Feedback provided includes proofreading, online correction, and conferences.
- How is the student provided with challenges?
- The student is provided with challenges by sometimes being given work that is harder for her age level in order to see what she has learned from the beginning till present in order to utilize what she’s learned on challenging assignments, but to also learn it is okay to not know the answer.
Instructional Best Practices
- How is this student provided with rich learning experiences?
- The student is able to collaborate with other students on her assignments
- The student talks to the teacher experiences to her own life about the words she is unsure about in order to learn them better.
- How are best practices utilized for this student?
- Personalized learning because she is given her own way of completing assignments.
- How does the student engage with tasks?
- The student does not always want to work on tasks and is unable to sit still when given them, but then will finally sit down to focus and finish.
- How are tasks designed for this student to experience success?
- The student is given flashcards of words with pictures in order for her to understand them better.
- How is learning tailored for the student (strengths, growth areas)?
- The student talks to the teacher experiences to her own life about the words she is unsure about in order to learn them better.
- The student is great at using words she is given to write full, complete sentences quickly and correctly.
Challenge Assumptions
- What did you expect to see?
- I expected to see the student be disruptive and unengaged since she constantly is being separated (this was before I knew about the IEP).
- What did you see?
- I saw that the student just has trouble focusing, and does enjoy school but sometimes just needs a teacher to sit with her for her to focus on what needs to be done.
- Are you confirming your expectations when you observe or are you keeping an open mind?
- At first I was confirming when I started observing, but then I kept an open mind as I tried to imagine what I would feel in her place as a nine year old.
- How did this challenge your assumptions?
- I thought originally that I would confirming my expectations are the student started off as disruptive and unengaged, but I was really surprised to see her sit down and focus, sometimes even being the first student to complete the assignment.
Student Interview
How old are you?
Student: 9
How do you learn?
Student: Just looking straight at the teacher and paying attention
What do you learn?
Student: I learn reading, animals, and about bodies.
How do you feel about learning?
Student: Okay
How do you keep going when something is challenging?
Student: Go through it.
What is going well in school?
Student: Reading and math.
What is best about you as a student?
Student: I get to learn a lot.
What keeps you interested?
Student: Teacher. She teaches a lot.
What would make school better for you?
Student: If we had prep. If we could go to the gym, art, library, computers.
If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?
Student: The playground, basketball court. I would make it swings.
What do you like about your teachers?
Student: They teach us how to do stuff and how to be nice and how to read and do math and how to be kind to others and that's it.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Student: A security guard and a teacher. A math teacher for 1st grade and big kids.
Student: 9
How do you learn?
Student: Just looking straight at the teacher and paying attention
What do you learn?
Student: I learn reading, animals, and about bodies.
How do you feel about learning?
Student: Okay
How do you keep going when something is challenging?
Student: Go through it.
What is going well in school?
Student: Reading and math.
What is best about you as a student?
Student: I get to learn a lot.
What keeps you interested?
Student: Teacher. She teaches a lot.
What would make school better for you?
Student: If we had prep. If we could go to the gym, art, library, computers.
If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?
Student: The playground, basketball court. I would make it swings.
What do you like about your teachers?
Student: They teach us how to do stuff and how to be nice and how to read and do math and how to be kind to others and that's it.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Student: A security guard and a teacher. A math teacher for 1st grade and big kids.
Teacher Interview
* How do you think students learn?
Teacher: Every student learns in their own way. I tell my students that all my students are smart. It’s important they have that confidence in themselves to learn.
* What do you teach students?
Teacher: Right now I’m teaching the students reading and writing, but usually I’ll teach other subjects too. I also make sure to teach my students how to be a good person, which is why I have them read my signs.
* How do you feel about teaching?
Teacher: Teaching is very rewarding. I chose to teach SPED in order to help the students be the best they could be. I’m also glad to be teaching in CPS, even though I am from Indiana, because these students have it rough at home and I want to help them enjoy school.
* How do you keep going when something is challenging?
Teacher: I choose to be happy. Even when I’m at my breaking point, I take a step back and make myself laugh.
* What is going well in school?
Teacher: Right now what’s going well is that my students are working on being hard workers and getting their work done.
* What is best about who you are as a teacher?
Teacher: I try to be the teacher I would want my own children to have. I try to create good energy in the classroom and love to reward my students.
* What keeps you interested in teaching?
Teacher: Helping the students who need it most.
* What was it like your first time teaching?
Teacher: When I started teaching it wasn’t required to student teach first, so I was thrown into the classroom right away. It was a little overwhelming but exciting.
* What is your favorite thing about teaching for CPS?
Teacher: CPS pays really well. I make a lot more than I did when I was teaching in Indiana. It’s very rewarding working with the students too. I’m grateful to be here. It feels great to have my work valued.
Teacher: Every student learns in their own way. I tell my students that all my students are smart. It’s important they have that confidence in themselves to learn.
* What do you teach students?
Teacher: Right now I’m teaching the students reading and writing, but usually I’ll teach other subjects too. I also make sure to teach my students how to be a good person, which is why I have them read my signs.
* How do you feel about teaching?
Teacher: Teaching is very rewarding. I chose to teach SPED in order to help the students be the best they could be. I’m also glad to be teaching in CPS, even though I am from Indiana, because these students have it rough at home and I want to help them enjoy school.
* How do you keep going when something is challenging?
Teacher: I choose to be happy. Even when I’m at my breaking point, I take a step back and make myself laugh.
* What is going well in school?
Teacher: Right now what’s going well is that my students are working on being hard workers and getting their work done.
* What is best about who you are as a teacher?
Teacher: I try to be the teacher I would want my own children to have. I try to create good energy in the classroom and love to reward my students.
* What keeps you interested in teaching?
Teacher: Helping the students who need it most.
* What was it like your first time teaching?
Teacher: When I started teaching it wasn’t required to student teach first, so I was thrown into the classroom right away. It was a little overwhelming but exciting.
* What is your favorite thing about teaching for CPS?
Teacher: CPS pays really well. I make a lot more than I did when I was teaching in Indiana. It’s very rewarding working with the students too. I’m grateful to be here. It feels great to have my work valued.